Uganda’s parliament is preparing to pass a brutal new law that would punish gay people with prison -- even death.

Initial international criticism drove the President to call for a review. But after a well-funded and vicious lobbying effort by extremists, the bill looks set to be passed -- threatening widespread persecution and bloodshed.

Opposition to the bill is rising, including from the Anglican church. Ugandan gay rights advocate Frank Mugisha writes, "This law will put us in serious danger. Please, sign the petition and tell others to stand with us – if there’s a huge global response, our government will see that Uganda will be internationally isolated by the proposed law, and strike it down."

With the decision expected in days, only an irresistible wave of worldwide pressure will be enough to save Frank's life and many others. Let’s build a huge petition to stop the gay death penalty -- click here to take action, then forward this email:

The petition will be delivered to President Museveni and the parliament at the end of this week by top Ugandan civil society and Church leaders. Pro-death penalty advocates have also planned a march this week, so our voices need to be louder than theirs!

The bill proposes life imprisonment for anyone convicted of having same-sex relations and imposes the death penalty for “serial offenders”. NGOs working to prevent the spread of HIV could be imprisoned for up to 7 years for “promoting homosexuality”. Even members of the public face up to three years in jail if they fail to report homosexual activity to the police within 24 hours!

The bill’s advocates claim that it defends national culture, but its strongest critics come from within Uganda. The Reverend Canon Gideon Byamugisha is one of many who’s written to us – he says,

"It is violating our cultures, traditions and religious values that teach against intolerance, injustice, hatred and violence. We need laws to protect people -- not ones that will humiliate, ridicule, persecute and kill them en masse."

By rejecting this dangerous bill and supporting the breadth of opposition to it, we can help set a crucial precedent. Let’s build massive support for Uganda’s human rights defenders, and save lives by stopping this bill -- sign now here, then tell friends and family:

Is Uganda part of the UN? I'm afraid I'm not up on the current membership list.

PS: I signed the petition, but I was a little annoyed that it automatically puts you on their email-list. I'd much rather be asked if I want to be notified of future actions. I had to dig into their privacy policy to find out that I had to send an email to complaints@avaaz.org with the subject line 'unsubscribe' in order to get back off the list.

Is Uganda part of the UN? I'm afraid I'm not up on the current membership list.

PS: I signed the petition, but I was a little annoyed that it automatically puts you on their email-list. I'd much rather be asked if I want to be notified of future actions. I had to dig into their privacy policy to find out that I had to send an email to complaints@avaaz.org with the subject line 'unsubscribe' in order to get back off the list.

They get a lot of money from countries who are part of the UN.I really hope they do the right thing and will cut the money flow if Uganda really goes through with this.

Unfortunately I don't think they'll give much about an online petition, as sad as that is :/Still, worth a try!

I would be pro some type of asylum for refugees if relocation is spread out across may nations (I am sure othe nationss are opposed to this type of thing as well) but telling another country what laws they have to/are not allowed to enact is not acceptable and not our concern.

This is just one of many inane comments my thread collected on another website.

How - James Monroe. NATO and the UN have intervened in other countries before in such matters - Somalia and Bosnia come to mind. And I love the way the quoted post-er specifies that relocation be 'spread out across ma[n]y nations' - reeks of 'NIMBY' to me.

Thanks for posting this, Eden. I had only heard the barest of allusions to this bill and had no idea how horrible it actually was. (Hopefully) the more bad publicity this thing gets the more pause it will give the Ugandan government. According to this BBC piece from the 5th, the Ugandan president has distanced himself from the bill. Yet another haunting reminder of how stupid humans become when they are afraid.

Is Uganda part of the UN? I'm afraid I'm not up on the current membership list.

PS: I signed the petition, but I was a little annoyed that it automatically puts you on their email-list. I'd much rather be asked if I want to be notified of future actions. I had to dig into their privacy policy to find out that I had to send an email to complaints@avaaz.org with the subject line 'unsubscribe' in order to get back off the list.

I agree with the opinion if the people in Uganda are gay, and this law passed then leave claiming rights of asylum. No nation as far as I know would turn away someone who would be punished so severely as far as I know that is a responsible global member.

I would say the best thing that could be done is give such persons preference when they want to relocate from this nation to other nations. And act in the UN to censor and deal with them with severe sanctions if possible.

But its not the business of the US to interfere in the internal laws of other nations but we can act in other ways to protect the lives by granting them ways to get to safety, as can other nations.

Doesn't Iran lock up proven gays? (I seem to recall their president got a ration of shit at his UN appearnce over the persecution of homesexuals a few years ago)

Of course he swore up and down that no Iranians would do such things.

I believe technically the punishment is death although I can't think of an example of it being used. The infamous example of the two young men hanged is controversial... while one major gay rights group considers it as a "gay issue" the vast majority don't.

It's one of those cases where we'll probably never know the truth. One group insists it was merely for being gay most of the rest have moved past that issue. The death penalty is still on the books there... and it's also a country infamous for rape victims being whipped due to having extra-marital sex. It's something you can imagine occurring... and with the secrecy and lack of independent news coming out of Iran, the truth is likely buried.

One the one hand.. it SOUNDS like a plausible case... but then like you said Iran has been known for punishing the victim of a sex crime for violating religious law.

Of course I see the writing on the wall with the dissent going on. Anyone want to make a bet on another revolution? My dad said in the 40s the folks who brought the Shah to power (and wasn't he a nice guy?) hung several mullahs by their own turbans.